P2C2: Testing Interpretations of the Oxygen Isotopic Composition of Asian Cave Calcite at Abrupt, Millennial, and Orbital Timescales

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The general research aim of this project is to further explore the Asian Monsoon from a previously constructed 640,000-year long, high-resolution record of the oxygen isotopic composition of cave calcite from the region of China currently affected by Asian monsoon rainfall. The project specifically seeks to examine several issues related to the Asian monsoon to better understand the mechanisms that cause abrupt, millennial-scale, and orbital-scale changes in Asian Monsoon rainfall through questions such as: (1) where across Asia have inferred changes in rainfall taken place; (2) to what extent have changes in the position of the sub-tropical jet affected Asian monsoon rainfall east of Tibet; and (3) were inferred changes in climate for portions of Central Asia north and west of the Tibetan Plateau caused by changes in winter or summer precipitation. Answers to these questions aim to understand the mechanisms that cause abrupt, millennial-scale, and orbital-scale changes in Asian Monsoon rainfall.The potential Broader Impacts include a better understanding of the Asian Monsoon, international collaboration with Chinese scientists of mutual benefit to the United States and China, and support for a post-doctoral scholar.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.